Plan…Travel…Repeat

Stockholm

Quite surprised with how much I liked Stockholm. Copenhagen was good, Helsinki I could have skipped but Stockholm was a great combination of old town, street cafes and park areas. I would love to come stay here for awhile.

We did not have an excursion so we planned the hop on hop off bus/boat combo. It was not a great plan. The boat was fine but you didn’t get much information. The buses were packed and you couldn’t always get on so we either had to wait or walk to the boat spots. We did get on one bus but it was so crowded and hot it was not enjoyable. If I had it to do again I would just go with the boats or just taken the shuttle and walked around the old town. The only thing good about the bus was the free wifi that actually worked. I was able to upload posts and photos while stuck on traffic.

Our first boat tour took us the full circle before we got off to transfer to the bus that went the opposite way to head to the royal palace and old town but the bus was full and we had to get back on the boat. Instead of circling again we decided to visit Skaasan the open air museum that included the zoo. At first it had an amusement park feel but once inside I was really glad we did it. They had basically moved farm houses from various times to the grounds. It was very peaceful after the bustle of downtown and the bus issues. It also was on an island across from old town so we were able to get some great photos of the skyline. It also had free bathrooms which was a plus since we didn’t have any Swedish coins for the public facilities.

About the time we were finishing up it started to rain so we headed back to try our luck with the buses again. After a horrible ride through traffic we finally got to the old town. We both wishes we had more time to wander it was a really cute part of Stockholm. The streets were narrow cobblestone and filled with cafes and bars. We passed the Texas Longhorn Steakhouse and were tempted to check it out but time was a premium and we still wanted to shop a little. Margaret found a cute children’s store and bought the cutest outfit for her new grand baby. All I bought was a magnet ( but I have made up for it at other stops).

I definitely want to come back to Stockholm bit in the shoulder season when it won’t be so crowded. However I don’t think I will do the bus again.

Russian Ballet

Back when planning we decided to splurge on the Russian Ballet excursion. The ship offered two options and we went with the fancy ballet in the Marlinski Theater. Our day tour was supposed to be 8 hours so we thought we would have plenty of time to change into our fancy outfits we brought specifically for the ballet. However we had a note on our first day saying that we might need to take our clothes and change in the terminal bathrooms. Of course we didn’t understand since we thought our eight hour tour would be eight hours which would have given us plenty of time. Our first reaction was that we just wouldn’t go to the ballet but as we calmed down we decided to go a little more casual to the ballet and just take a change of shoes. It ended up we had about an hour to jump on the ship change and get back to the bus.

After our mad dash to change I grabbed a couple pieces of bread to tide me over (remember we had the world’s worst boxed lunch) and headed to the bus.
Of course the light rain we had at the end of our tour had turned into a storm when we left for the ballet. It wasn’t that far to the bus but we did get a little wet. I had a handy bag to carry my wet umbrella in my purse which came in handy( Angie made fun of me for buying it but I have used it many times on this trip and highly recommend it if you come across one, I found mine at marshals for around $5.)

The theater was beautiful. We heard later on our trip that the chandelier is the biggest in St Petersburg which is impressive since we had seen a lot of gorgeous chandeliers. It is a beautiful bowl shaped chandelier with the crystal draping from the top to come together at the bottom. My picture does not do it justice. Beside the chandelier the there was a lot of gold leaf which has been typical in St Petersburg. They definitely loved shiny things.

The theater was a little smaller than I expected with only one floor with a row of box seats about half a flight up just circling the main seats. The seats were just regular chairs and extremely hard and uncomfortable. I am glad we were not seeing a longer show.

The ballet was Swan Lake and it was amazing. The dancers, especially the white/black swan was exceptional She had the most prima ballerina bow I have ever seen. Of course at dinner the night before a Ukrainian woman was quick to tell us that everybody knew the ballet season didn’t start in August so none of the best ballerinas would be dancing for our show. They would just be students but no one told the main ballerina because she danced and bowed like a pro.

On the way the tour guide told us there would be one intermission and the show would last less than 3 hours. We were so tired at the end of the second act we thought it was over. Forget the fact that the white swan hadn’t come back to win back the prince or that they hadn’t bowed, Margaret and I headed out of the theater. One our way out we got a piece of paper which of course we couldn’t read but finally got the hint when we were outside in the rain with all the smokers. We used our price of paper to renter the theater and climbed over everyone back to our seats to watch the third act. Luckily it was short. Of course they took there bows but only those who had danced in the last act so basically just all the swans and the prince. The other male dancers were left out. Felt really stupid for thinking it was over before the bows but you never know it was Russia.

Sure it was over we headed out to find our bus. It was still raining but now that it was getting dark it was really cold. It felt like winter in Texas. I had thought it would be fun to see the city with snow but I could barely handle rain in the summer so ok Russia winters for me.

We made it back to the ship just in time to grab a piece of pizza before they closed down the buffet.

It was a busy day but we saw a lot and had a great time. One more day of St Petersburg before we head out of Russia.

St Petersburg Day Two

Our second day in St Petersburg was much like the first day, a whirlwind of activity. It started with photo stops around town waiting for the Hermitage to open.

Our first stop was the two Sphinxes given to Russia (because they wanted them.) They are supposed to grant wishes if you touch their paws. I gave it a try and if some how I come into a million bucks I’ll give them the credit. Regardless they were right by the water so the stop provided a nice view.

Our next stop was across the river from the fortress and Peter and Paul church where the czars are buried, for panoramic shots of the skyline.

Next we went to take pictures of Saint Paul’s. We had briefly done the interior on day one (our last stop and really rushed) but did not get far enough away to take pictures of the outside. It was a busy square with the Peter the Great on the rearing horse statute with an opportunity to shop from the street vendors. The tour guides did their best to prevent us from wandering into unsanctioned souvenir shops or booths. If we were going to shop then we needed to do it where planned. However several of us (me included if there is buying going on I am involved) squeezed in a street vendor on this stop. Once discovered our guide watched us like a hawk, there was no more unplanned shopping. Anytime anyone got near us with souvenirs she was right there saying there would be plenty of time for shopping later meaning don’t buy unless me and the ship get a commission. I can’t remember if I said this yesterday and it costs to go back and read my posts (that also explains my poor spelling and punctuation – it is hard to type on my phone) but there was no reason to worry I shopped enough at the “convenience” stops for my whole tour group.

Anyway back to the tour. Our next stop was some battleship. It had recently been in dry dock and out of town and our guide was very excited to have it back. It had something to do with the communist take over so not sure why she loved it so much. But to each there own. We just saw it from the pier took a few pictures and then we’re off again.

Finally having wasted enough time and concerned for unsanctioned shopping we just went to get in line at the Hermitage.

The Hermitage and Catherine’s Palace yesterday were the highlights of not only the excursion but also the cruise. The hermitage didn’t open for a few hours but we were getting in early. Which turned out to be a good thing because it was really crowded when we left. Our guide was an art student so we had a great tour of the museum which made up for her shopping nazi attitude.

The museum is in the winter palace which even without the art it would be a great place to visit. The staircases floors and chandeliers were again amazing.
We started in the Rembrandt room and it was a full collection. She showed us the highlights and moved us along. There were a few Leonardo’s and Raphael’s which were all beautiful. And then several Dutch masters and miniatures. What it was lacking was any Russia art. Most of the art was from Catherine the Great’s personal collection with a few pieces giving to the museum for various reason. It was a great stop on the vacation but as the guide from day one said “it isn’t a museum but a fitness club” was right we walked for hours in basically un-air conditioned building ( I guess there was enough to keep the art comfortable but not humans.)

After the Hermitage we had the same bad boxed lunch that we had the day before. We thought we were being so smart by bringing bagels from the ship for lunch but we left them on the bus so we didn’t have them for lunch so we were well prepared but ill-planned.

The next stop was Yusoff palace which is the place that Rasputin was murdered. Or where they started the killing as he was able to get away and run down the street where it is said they chased him down and killed him with a stick. They supposedly poisoned and shot him before he left the palace but it was the cheap stick that did the trick. The palace itself (palace being a bit of a stretch more like fancy home) was set up for the Rasputin time period so around early 1900s. Compared to where else we had been it was kind of sparse and the cellar where the murder happened was set up with wax dolls and very cheesy (think really cheap amusement park ride). Not the highlight of the trip.

I planned to buy some Russian vodka on the trip but other than what they sampled at the convenience stops I did not have a chance to do it. On the stop today I was going to help my self to a few samples until I saw the clerk washing the glasses in the bathroom sink. The bathroom was basically a gas station bathroom (and I don’t mean bucees) so needless to say I skipped the vodka tasting. I did shop and picked up a few more Russian souvenirs. I even found a watercolor. I made a little more than I should or thought I was going to but it was the only one I had seen and didn’t want to leave Russia without a picture for my wall.

Our last stop was the church with all the czars tombs. We had seen it in the distance but had never driven by it. Located on an island there was just one way in and traffic was horrible. Right as we arrived the afternoon storm hit. We got inside the church just in time. Of course so dos everyone else and with the rain keeping people from leaving it was a packed house. With all the tombs the church was hard to maneuver through. We basically followed some unwritten tour guide path that took us up the middle first then down the right side to the crypt for Nicholas and his family (and yes they claim all the children including Anastasia are accounted for) and then back up the left side for Peter and Catherine the Greats tombs. The inside was the Russian ornate gold leaf that was everywhere in St Petersburg so it dos not really stand out. One of the wife’s (and I cannot remember who) had a beautiful pink marble coffin otherwise it was just another Russian church.

I was sad to see our time n Russia come to and end. I really wish we would have had more time and a little free time to wander on our own. Being the one place I really wanted to visit I am glad I finally made it.

Our first day in St Petersburg was a whirlwind of activities. We planned the ultimate excursion which they advertise as being two eight hour days and an evening at the Marlinski Ballet. The tours ended up being more like 10 hours so we were really rushed on day one.

In preparation for our Russia day we picked up some rubles from the front desk. For $100 I got 6000 rubles. It is the first time I have held a 5000 bill. It was odd currency to work with.

Our tour started early in the morning and our first stop was Catherine’s Palace. It was about a hour drive. There were no highways we twisted and turned through narrow little city streets until we were out of town on what seemed more like a FM road than a highway. This did allow us to get glimpse of some of the attractions in town.

Catherine’s Palace was beautiful. It was used as a summer home to get out of St Petersburg. It was patterned after Versailles. The rooms were full of ornate chandeliers and marble floors. We even had to cover our shoes with little paper booties to protect the floors. There was some art but mostly we were seeing the rooms and furniture.

The amber room although beautiful was not exactly what I expected. It was panels where that had fit pieces of Amber together like a puzzle. Think more rock fireplace then mosaics. There were also frames made out of amber for art made out of amber so pretty much everything was amber. However there was not quite enough to cover all the walls so one was blank and the part up to the ceiling was painted to look like amber. The amber panels were originally made for the Prussian king but Peter the Great showed asked that they be given to him and they kindly obliged. I guess they wanted to keep Peter the Great happy. Of course these are replicas since the Germans took them back in WWII never to be seen again.

After the palace we headed back to the road for the hour drive to Peterhof Gardens. Here we had our delicious boxed lunch of convenience store sandwich in the garden. Beautiful surroundings horrible lunch.

The gardens were full of fountains and was again patterned after Versailles. We wondered and took a lot of photos before heading to the pier to catch the hydrofoil back to the city. It was a crazy bout that looked like a cricket gliding across the water. It did cut 30 minutes off the trip so well worth it.

We still had two churches to see in the afternoon so we were rushing through town on our bus. The church of the Spilled Blood is the most Russian building we saw. It is a Russia Orthodox Church with the onion domes. The domes were patterned to look like burning candles.

The interior is all mosaic and mostly done in gold. It is very ornate. It definitely lived up to my expectations.

From there St issaks. It has a big gold dome which 8 people died making. We were quite rushed in the church but able to snap a few pictures.

Before the church we had a convince stop. Basically the cruise sponsored souvenir shop that allowed free bathrooms and vodka tasting. I did my part shopping in all the tour stops. I am sure things were probably cheaper other place but the convince stop was just that convenient and our tour guides did their best to keep us out of other stores.

Overall a great day in Russia and it isn’t over but the ballet will have to be its own post.

It is a beautiful day in Helsinki. We got started with breakfast out on the deck enjoying the sunshine (also avoiding the crazy crush of the buffet area).

Our tour had a later start time so we were in no rush this morning and much more relaxed than our last two days in Russia.

We had booked a half day tour of the highlights with an ice bar vodka stop. So I guess it was a good thing we were not out at 8 since it wasn’t long before we headed to the ice bar.

Helsinki has a more modern feel then Tallinn but nothing like the austere communist buildings of St Petersburg. Our tour got off with a small stop at the central square with the parliament building which looked a lot like those in the states (built to resemble the classical style). There was a huge staircase across the whole front that the tour guide explained made the square perfect for viewing large events.

It was a short stop and soon we were off to the ice bar. Which turned out to be more of a winter play land. There was an ice bar (actually made out of ice) but also a small sled hill, dog sleds and tandem skiing.

We first had to get into our winter gear. We both looked super cute in our parka jumpsuits and boots before heading into basically a refrigerated storage building. It was cold but probably OK with just coats but I guess the jumpsuit makes it more of an event.

The vodka was served in a frozen shot glass not the best but still fun. After that we had about 45 minutes to look around. We road the dog sleds and took pictures in all the igloos and even tried out the sleds and push skis. I think the facility is more geared to a younger crowd but we still had fun.

After that we went to the rock church. Which is exactly what it is. A church built with rocks into the side of the hill. The ceiling was copper wire wound into a dome it looked like a big giant penny. Supposedly the that technique made for great acoustics. There was someone playing the piano while we were there but it was a sunny day and the sun coming in the windows made it too hot to stay and enjoy.

From there the tour continued but I hopped off to see a bit more of the town. There was an open air market by the pier I wanted to see. So margaret continued on back to the ship and I struck out on my own to see the inner city. Being smart I stopped at the shuttle to make sure I had all the information to get back to the ship.

From there it was a short walk back to the pier and open market. It basically sold fruit and fish. I was going to grab a snack but it was all sit down food so I just wandered around. I did sample the local fried “fish” (think anchovy size but fried in corn meal) after that I determined the market food wasn’t for me. I decided to head back to the deco outside bar for a beer instead. Much wiser choice. Ended up trying the shrimp salad as well. I needed something to go with my beer. There was live music from the bandstand right across the park so a great stop for my Helsinki visit.

Tallinn Estonia

Tallinn is a great medieval town with a fortress around the old city center. We had most of the day to wander the town but sadly it rained on and off all day.

We started our day on a hop on hop off bus. We bought the tickets online which just caused all sorts of issues. Neither bus line matched the name on our email. Regardless we got on and got to the old town very easily.

Tallinn is pretty much a shopping experience. There were stores and booths everywhere. There were ladies knitting and selling their work or maybe just knitting while selling pre made items because everything was pretty similar but nothing looked mass produced.

We shopped until it started to rain then went up to the medieval wall which was covered. You could pretty see the whole city center.

The rain didn’t last long and the sun came back out so we returned to the ground to continue our wandering.

There were several churches but most were now museums so we only went in one and it wasn’t much. I don’t think it would have mattered the roads were winding cobblestones paths went up and down small hills. It was like the great hills area of squeezed all together with tiny little sidewalk type roads.

After checking off the local sights we started our serious shopping. There were amber stores everywhere and even though I already bought my pieces I continued to shop (I had to make sure I got a good price for my items). There were also a lot of shops with typical Russian souvenirs. It hasn’t been that long since Estonia was part of the USSR. In hopes of having even better options in St Petersburg I stuck to wool items for my purchases. I hope it gets cold enough to wear my new wool hat with the traditional Estonia pattern. I might have to book another trip this winter somewhere cold.

We didn’t make the day without more rain so we decided to get back on the bus and ride it back around to the ship. Not much to the bus ride.

Warnemunde

After our sad bus tour to Wismar we decided to see the town the ship was docked in. We thought the rain had stopped so we ventured out with the crowds. There were two cruise ships but thankfully most people trained into Berlin because the town could barely hold the people that stayed behind.

We got about half way through town and the rain came back with a vengeance. I was determined to put my feet in the Baltic Sea so unlike everyone else huddled under the few awnings I kept going. Margaret who really wasn’t as interested in the whole sea thing went along probably cursing me the whole way. We finally fought our way out to the water and had the whole beach to ourselves. I loved it and think Margaret did as well but she will never admit it. She would prefer to continue to call me crazy.

We were just walking off the beach when the rained stopped. Margaret spied another tower we could climb and feeling bad for the beach adventure I had to do along. Only 150 short steps took us to the top. I was a little nervous but it was nothing like the church in Copenhagen so I was okay. I only had to make a short circle around the outside.

Soaking wet we continued our tour of the town on one of the less crowded streets. The flowers were beautiful. All the houses had small but well maintained flower gardens. Some of the biggest roses I have ever seen.

Not much for shopping but we did each find something to buy. Who would aim alone mine was a Christmas ornament (a small tree no less).

What got off to a rocky start came together in the end. Tomorrow is a lazy day on board but who knows what trouble we will find.

Wismar Brewery Tour

When we planned this trip we got a little over zealous with the excursions and booked one in almost every port. Hopefully the others will go better than today’s did.

What we thought was a brewery tour at a medieval monetary brewery was really a sad walk around what once was an East German port town. Unlike other areas I have traveled the town dos not do much to restore the medieval architecture. There were three gothic medieval churches on in complete ruins except for the clock tower, one the tried to save but they waited too long, and one small one that survived but lost all its stoned glass. We went through the one they restored bit it was pretty much just an empty shell. None of the art work survived.

The town was cute with winding cobble stone roadways but there wasn’t much too it. We had an hour of free time to shop around but we were back long before then. I did find some jewelry (and I know you are saying of course you did but this is day four and that was the first real purchase I have made) but that was it. We didn’t have any euros so we couldn’t buy the pastry we wanted or go to the bathroom. It was a sad day but we survived.

The building the brewery was on was neat. It had a old Shakespearean look to it with the big logs and white plaster. The beer was okay but not great and it was miserably hot so even if it had been great it would have been hard to enjoy it.

So all in all our first excursion was a bust.

We got to the boat early to avoid the lines and we’re basically able to walk right through.

We wandered the ship for a bit then headed to the buffet for lunch. As usual the cruise options were many and we had no problems finding plenty to eat.

After lunch we went to hear about the drink specials for the cruise and to get the free glass of champagne. Our first of what will be plenty of alcoholic beverages for the cruise. We decided on several drinking events including a scotch and a beer tasting (of course we did it is me and margaret).

After that we headed out to the outdoor pool to watch the boat pull out of the harbor. While there we had a few German beers to really get the cruise going.

This is also where the good people watching got started. The passengers are not as old as expected. There really is a good range of ages and nationalities. There was the young boy in his way too big room robe running around the pool area, a seventy year old tall blonde German pirate with one large gold hoop earring in the hot tub, and our constant companion a Danny Devito looking guy with bad glasses, crazy swim trunks and big camera (which we have seen everywhere).

Dinner was an early event followed by more beer in the BB King lounge to hear the live blues band. We didn’t make it long and went to bed after the first set hopefully to finally get some good sleep in our cave.

After not a great night of sleep (but at least we we had beds) we got up early to see the sights. We were determined to make it to the waterfront Nyhaven area. For some reason it all came together this morning and we walked there with little problems. Copenhagen is not a town of early risers. It seemed like Margaret and I had the town to ourselves until about 9 o’clock.

We stopped for Danishes (we are in Denmark so it would have been completely wrong not to) along the way but still got there before anything (but surprisingly the ice cream shop) was open. We walked down to the water for a few pictures and Margaret saw the Church of Our Savior in the distance with the crazy spire with steps on the outside. I of course had suggested a nice sedate trip to the castle to see the Crown Jewels but Margaret wanted to climb the church tower. Not one to back down we headed over to check it out. Our walk took us to a more residential area where people were finally starting to move around. Morning commute started around 9:15 and pretty much was done by bike. Of course the less than 70 degree weather for July makes bike riding and option. If was funny to see a traffic jam of bikes trying to get through a light.

Anyway we made it to the church and had 30 minutes to kill. Not enough time to deter us so we wander the area until it was time to line up.

The first three or four floors were inside and fine but hot. The sun was just starting to come in the windows. Once that was done it was more a combination of ladder like stairs or spiral stairs in the bell tower portion. There was a warning light for when the bells went off but since they were right there I don’t think you’d miss them. I am just glad the didn’t go off while we were there.

The inside was so hot it was almost worth it to be outside but not quite. It was super windy but we made it to the top and quickly headed back down. Round trip was only 30 minutes but I think it took s few years off my life. The views were amazing you could see the whole town. We got some great pictures.

After that we quickly headed back to the hotel to check out and head to the boat. We have a little more time in Copenhagen at the end of our trip to hit a few more of the highlights.